New Arkansas group requests to join Summit Utilities investigation

Little Rock, Arkansas – Another group is asking to be investigated alongside Summit Utilities.

Several significant Arkansas businesses, including Riceland and Lion Oil, are part of the organization Arkansas Gas Consumers Incorporated, which made the request.

“I’ve never seen a utility spark that [many] complaints to the Attorney General,” Arkansas Gas Consumers Attorney Jordan Tinsley said.

The businesses covered by Arkansas Gas Consumers, Inc. also use natural gas supplied by Summit, which has experienced many of the same problems with excessive costs.

AGC has asked the Public Service Commission to include Tim Griffin, the attorney general, in their probe.

Additionally, Summit Utilities provided the commission with its initial direct testimony.

Company employees provided an explanation of the billing price rise, attributing some of it to a 35% increase in their supply rate brought on by rising gas prices, higher utility demand, and expenses related to the winter storm of 2021.

The next step is as follows: Summit is currently putting together a defense for the second matter under investigation—the price they paid for natural gas.

A May deadline was established for Summit and the other parties involved in the dispute.

The commission is anticipated to rule on Summit’s compliance with the law shortly after that.

“If we determine it has not, we certainly will certainly be pursuing adequate remedies for the members who have suffered harm as a result of that,” Tinsley said.

Griffin requested an investigation by the Public Service Commission after receiving thousands of complaints from Summit customers last winter, which sparked this investigation.